Bring team work to the job hunt

All hands together will result in a more efficient job search, says organisational development practitioner

We live in a competitive world. Right from our early years in school, we are pitted against each other; some schools even grade the performance of children from as early as kindergarten.

Through school life, we go through a system that keeps us actively competing for positions, and our parents make it worse by insisting we are top in class every term. But we all can’t be number one, can we?

This sense of competition carries on into adult life when people living in the same estate compete to acquire the newest model of a car or the hottest fashion designs.

We have no time to compliment what others are doing and have no hope in finding support from others since no one wants to share opportunities lest they lose them.

This translates to the workplace where staff hides information from each other and backstab each other to ensure they gain an edge against their colleagues.

The competition, however, is even more intense before people enter the workplace. Friends who have similar aspirations and qualifications are the least likely to work hand in hand to ensure that they get jobs, even though this is a formula that would work for all.

How would you react if a friend seeking a job like yours invited to combine resources? Would you imagine the process would be to your disadvantage or would you hope the process would lead you closer to clinching your dream job?

All hands together

The joint job search is an interesting mechanism. It involves joint search for adverts and available opportunities while supporting in the development and packaging of CVs and cover letters.

And since we all have our own unique traits and qualities, joint job seekers send their applications to the same potential employers and hope both, or one, of them would be invited for the interview.

Then the second level of potential competition sets in. Would you share information about the expected questions at the interview?

In case you know something about the interviewing organisation that your friend does not, how far would go to share that information with her? Would you want to consider the information you possess as your competitive advantage or would you willingly share the information wishing each other the best?

The experience I have had in recruitment suggests that you can rarely script the interview process. They take their own shape depending on the responses of the interviewee, so some questions are not necessarily asked at each interview.

The fact that you know something about a company does not necessarily place you at an advantage. The interviewers may not value the extra knowledge you possess.

So drop your guard; look around for other people seeking the same kind of jobs and form a job search team. Share information about available opportunities and coach each other on responding to job adverts, then bask in the glory of friends getting employed one after the other.

You may just be shocked when some of your friends call you on board once they get employed.